A Space of Optimism.

Happy New Year Everyone.

Can you believe we are already 8 days into the new year, I honestly cannot believe that. I feel like all I do is blink and days just fly by! Anyways, it’s not how much time you have, it’s what you do with the time you have been given, that truly matters. I thought by now I would be hearing so much lip on new year resolutions but funny enough I haven’t heard many people speak on their ‘new year new me’ resolutions. If anything, listening to someone speak about how people ought to not make those ‘new year new me’ resolutions, just makes me cringe to a level 100, like we get it. That is so 2009, let’s move on, everyone else has.

Another thing that really surprised me is how so many people have come out of nowhere either putting a curse or a blessing on the year 2016. I even saw a trailer to a potential ‘year 2016’ movie. Personally, 2016 wasn’t the one for me but I am grateful it happened. I am definitely one of those who at first had to truly analyse 2016 for what it was, in order to find the beauty in it and I cannot lie, it was hard but I am better for it.

Saying I’m excited for this new year is a big stretch but also an understatement. I’m excited for what’s in store.

Speaking to a friend, she shared with me her bother on how much emphasis is placed on celebrating the new year. Her thoughts were, ‘why wait until the new year to start something and leave whatever you had been previously working on undone?’ To which I agreed, to an extent.

But as someone who enjoys and celebrates beginnings and endings of anything life has to offer, I had to explain that sometimes ‘people are appreciative for the end it brings but also the beginning’. Especially if it has been a long rocky road or the end of something negative for them and emphasising on the new year is just their way of celebrating an opportunity to create a space of optimism. Plus, living with the idea that your life is one big continuum; even though it is, seems rather daunting for many. Think of the new year as ‘recess’ before heading back to class, or a ‘bookmaker’ to aid you in continuing through chapters of your favourite novel.

I realise the new year is my favourite time of the year. You get to celebrate an ending and a beginning all in the same breath. Yes, it also helps in creating a space of optimism for one’s life. However, I’ve learnt with that comes the habit of being ‘intentional’.

I believe setting resolutions are not necessarily to be done away with, resolutions that cause some to spontaneously sign up for gym memberships only adds to one’s space of optimism for the year or until you reach your goal. I believe you ought to only count resolution as a downfall waiting to happen, once you stop being intentional about achieving the goals you’ve set.